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Frequently Asked Questions

What is open innovation? Open innovation exists when companies explore product ideas that come from outside inventors. Lifetime Brands develops over 5,000 new housewares products each year, but believe that great product ideas can come from anywhere – and that anyone who has a great idea deserves to be heard. Through our open innovation program, we are able to explore such ideas with outside inventors and have the resources to bring them to market.

Why should I submit an idea to Lifetime Brands? Lifetime has built a reputation for being inventor-friendly and helping to bring ideas to market utilizing our talented design professionals and extensive sales network. We sell our products to specialty stores, department stores, national chains, mass merchants, warehouse clubs, home centers, supermarkets and off-price retailers, as well as directly to consumers through the Internet.

What types of ideas is Lifetime Brands looking for? We’re looking for new product ideas and innovative enhancements to existing products that solve a problem or improve the performance of existing products. While not required, any patented ideas, market research, CAD drawings and prototypes will greatly enhance our ability to evaluate your idea and explore the opportunity with you.

My idea is not patented, can I still submit it? Absolutely. Patented ideas are easier to evaluate and could drastically speed up the amount of time it takes to bring your product to market, but we realize that inventors are at different stages of development.

What can I expect after submitting an idea? Every idea will be evaluated by Warren Tuttle, an authorized representative for Lifetime Brands and President of the United Inventors Association. Warren has extensive experience working with inventors and will provide feedback on your idea. Based on his expertise, he will let you know if your idea meets our criteria, give feedback and determine whether your idea is ready to be shared with Lifetime Brands.

What is the relationship between Warren Tuttle and Lifetime Brands? Warren Tuttle is an authorized representative for Lifetime Brands. His passion for innovation, deep knowledge of the steps required to make an idea into a reality, and successes working with inventors made him the perfect partner for Lifetime Brands' open innovation program.

Do all submitted ideas get shared with Lifetime Brands? All submitted ideas will be evaluated by Warren Tuttle to ensure they fit within Lifetime Brands’ categories and they offer functionality that is unique to the industry. If ideas do not meet these criteria, Warren will let you know and offer advice on what your next steps should be to get them to the point where they can be shared with Lifetime Brands.

What happens if my idea is shared with Lifetime Brands and they want to make my product? If Lifetime Brands is interested in producing your product and wants to enter into a licensing agreement with you, Warren Tuttle will work with you on each step of the process.